The House of Rock.
It's not the name of a new club or an old
band. It's actually a translation of the Shona phrase, "dzimba
dza mabwe" from which the name Zimbabwe is believed to be
derived. Great Zimbabwe was once a thriving city of up to
20,000 people. Today, the sixty acres of immense stone ruins
of that city tell the story of the people who created and
resided in it some 900 years ago.
African Origins Denied
For a long time, many Westerners refused to believe that such
amazing structures could have been crafted in Africa without
European influence or assistance. These notions reflect
ethnocentrism that was common in the West at the time.
When European nations colonized the region, they sponsored
an investigation with the goal of proving the white origins of
Great Zimbabwe. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the
people they sent, who were not professional archeologists or experts, insisted that
Africans could not have built the structure. One, Richard Nicklin Hall, even went so far in
an attempt to remove what he called the “filth and decadence of the [black] occupation”
that he tore up large areas of land around the site looking for proof for his theory,
destroying enormous amounts of archeological material in the process. An archeologist
who visited the site shortly after Hall left deemed his fieldwork "reckless blundering ...
worse than anything I have ever seen." With the help of modern dating techniques,
today's archaeologists have been able to disprove these arguments and expose the
truth. Africans, and Africans alone, were responsible for building this astounding and
complex city.
Shona Settlement
The first inhabitants of Great Zimbabwe were Shona-speaking peoples who likely settled
in the region as early as 400 CE. Back then, the land was full of possibilities: plains of
fertile soil to support farming and herding, and mineral rich territories to provide gold,
iron, copper, and tin for trading and crafting. It was fine place for the Shona to call
home. Over the years, descendants of the Shona made transitions from simple farming
communities to more complex, stratified societies. By 1000 C.E., the population of Great
Zimbabwe was divided and ranked by status — from elite leaders and their cattle to the
peasants who did all the work. Cattle were very desirable and actually more valuable
than most of the workers!
VIP Status in Great Zimbabwe
In response to the changing social, political, and economic landscape, new buildings
were gradually built. Tremendous stone houses were constructed by the peasants for
their kings. Sophisticated workplaces were designed for conducting trades such as
blacksmithing.
The buildings were made of heavy granite blocks, stacked tightly together. Stones were
arranged carefully, and no mortar was used to seal them together. The largest and most
impressive building was an elliptical structure known today as the Great or Western
Enclosure. The remains of its outer wall measure over 800 feet long and up to 32 feet
high. The wall enclosed several huts and a tall, cone-shaped tower. Archaeologists and
anthropologists believe that the enclosure was the city's center and was occupied only
by the elite. It was the dividing line between the rich and the rest.
Several clues led to this theory. First, remnants of exotic items from overseas were
found within the enclosure. Second, no evidence of cooking was found within the walled
area. Most likely, this means that food was prepared elsewhere by servants and
delivered to the wealthy inhabitants upon demand. And third, evidence of only 100-200
residents is shown, while many thousands occupied the city.
Where did everyone else live? They lived in mud huts surrounding the enclosure.
Although the huts were not quite as glamorous as the granite "palaces," they were well
constructed.
Connections to the “Monsoon Marketplace”
By 1200 C.E., the city had grown strong, and was well known as an important religious
and trading center. Some believe that religion triggered the city's rise to power, and
that the tall tower was used for worship. The people of Great Zimbabwe most likely
worshipped Mwari, the supreme god in the Shona religion.
Discoveries of Chinese porcelain,
engraved glass from the Middle East, and
metal ornaments from West Africa
provide evidence that Great Zimbabwe
participated in extensive trade during the
13th and 14th centuries. The settlements
on the East African Coast such as Kilwa,
Malindi, and Mogadishu would have been
primary trading partners, connecting
Great Zimbabwe to the entire Indian
Ocean trade network, reaching as far as
China. The wealth of Great Zimbabwe
was in cattle production and gold, and there are a number of mines to the west of Great
Zimbabwe. One theory is that the rulers of Great Zimbabwe did not have direct control
over the gold mines, but rather managed the trade in it, buying up huge quantities in
exchange for cattle.
Zimbabwe's prosperity continued until the mid-15th century. At this time, the city's
trade activity declined and the people began to migrate elsewhere. The exact cause of
the evacuation remains a puzzle, but many scientists agree that a decline in soil quality
and fertility was probably a major factor. The Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe has declined,
but the House of Rock still stands.
